I'm not contributing to certain aspects of this discussion, but I thought that this mini-article from the JC report would be of interest to some:
"Blue to Black
The saturated premium denim market continues to grow, with denim bars stocking what appear to be new brands every moment. Yet, there's hope for a strain of something new (besides cut) in this trend, and it springs eternal in the form of black denim. As the color black seeps its way back into fashion, black denim follows.
Putting on a pair of black jeans with a white shirt evokes the moodier air orbiting fashion. Maybe it's the return of rock 'n roll and its new icons, or perhaps it's a rejection of the sweet looks and profusion of color that's still in stores. What is definite is that some of our favorite designers are giving us black denim for spring, and we forecast the color denim becoming a new staple going forward. Historically, we can identify Lip Service's skinny jeans from the early '80s as the only era where black denim came to near iconic status, but then it largely stayed in the underground. For the coming seasons we envision black denim stepping forward and being rendered in all the complimentary cuts that have made the jeans market red-hot in the last few years.
The impending black denim craze is not just of the rock 'n roll variety. From Slab by Rick Owens, there's a murky pigmented version for men that hangs baggy-style off the butt. If you can score a pair (they're hot property), it's a great, understated urban uniform. Owens is also launching Dark Shadow, a new denim line, later this year, and we forecast the appearance of more black denim there. Nice Collective has a super-soft version with maximum seams, zippers, and suspenders.
Helmut Lang's come with sailor buttons and are engineered like his long-standing popular plain fit jeans. The ones from Konzo jeans, available exclusively at L'Eclaireur, are never to be washed and run high on the waist. But the bulk of black jeans we're seeing do have a rock edge, and they're cut skinny. Cloak calls their cultish version the Skinny jean; it hangs off the butt and snatches the leg for an awesome new fit. Nicolas Andreas Taralis' selection at Surface to Air comes scoffed up with little holes and are cut slim, as are the ones from Surface to Air's own Estuay line. Slim is the mantra at Balenciaga and Hedi Slimane for Dior Homme; both have silhouette-elongating versions. Raf Simons' choice comes closest to the Lip Service ones, cinched and perfect for going to the latest Bloc Party or Queens of Noize gig.
The infinite possibility with black denim makes it a new staple of simplicity and rebellion.
-Jenny Moda"
FWIW, I have some Rick Owens' Slab jeans, and love 'em (although I think in a different part of this thread, Faust said he didn't like 'em, to each their own!). And also, FWIW, I can't get into Cloak jeans as they are currently constructed. I'm told that they are going to adjust the fit for F/W.
. Well, won't stop me from purchasing a pair, the price is wonderful. Well, first of all, I want raw denim, a fit that is tight, but not skin tight. I think maybe the English Style jeans? 
